Latvia’s parliament today approved the nationalization of “Moscow House” in Riga, which formerly housed a Russian cultural center, with Latvian authorities arguing that Moscow was using it as a “propaganda” tool to exert influence.

The Moscow House, funded by the Russian capital’s municipality to promote “cultural and economic cooperation” between the two capitals, closed in March 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

After the vote in the Latvian Parliament, the Moscow House will become the property of the Latvian Ministry of Transport, the former owner of the building.

In a statement, the Latvian parliament found Moscow House to be “an instrument of Russia’s foreign policy, with the help of which it deliberately spreads propaganda justifying its aggressive actions and interpretations of history in favor of the Kremlin.”

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said he had “informed” his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky about this decision. The prevailing plan for the building is to put it up for auction and the proceeds to go towards helping Ukraine in its war with the Russian invaders, he told reporters today.

The decision provoked the angry reaction of the Russian embassy, ​​which spoke of “state theft”. “This unprecedented hostile behavior will not go unanswered,” the Russian embassy in Riga said.

Latvia, a former Soviet republic now a member of NATO, is a strong ally of Ukraine. Its relations with Russia deteriorated rapidly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.